This program has been canceled due to forecasted extreme cold weather.
Sensory Friendly Sunday is a monthly free event designed for kids, teens, and adults with sensory processing differences, autism spectrum disorder, or developmental disabilities. The galleries will be closed to the general public, allowing visitors to enjoy the museum in a calm environment with accommodations such as quiet spaces, fidgets, and sunglasses available. Experience a selection of current Walker exhibitions, make art, or watch a short film. All friends and family members are welcome.
In January, explore the exhibitions Multiple Realities: Experimental Art in the Eastern Bloc, 1960s–1980s, Five Ways In: Themes from the Collection, Make Sense of This: Visitors Respond to the Walker’s Collection, and Among Friends: The Generosity of Judy and Ken Dayton.
To support the health and safety of visitors at increased risk for COVID-19, masks are required at Sensory Friendly Sunday for visitors over age 2. Accommodations are available if someone in your party is unable to tolerate masking. Please email access@walkerart.org or call 612-375-7561 for more information.
This program was created in consultation with the Autism Society of Minnesota (AuSM) and the University of Minnesota’s Occupational Therapy Program.
Admissions
While walk-ins are welcome, we encourage you to reserve your space ahead of time. Sensory Friendly Sunday is typically less busy from 8 to 9:30 am, and busier from 9:30 to 11 am.
Activity Information
Art-Making Activity, 8–11 am
Join teaching artist Alexandra Beaumont in the Art Lab to create a colorful light catcher to hang in your window during the gray winter.
Gallery Activity, 8–11 am
Can scribbles be art? Experiment with line in a playful drawing activity inspired by abstract painter Beauford Delaney.
Short Film, 8–11 am
Stop by the Bentson Mediatheque to watch the short film Und dänn … (And Then …). What will happen next as three children take turns adding to a collaborative story about a whale and a hot air balloon? The film is 3 minutes and will loop between 8–11 am. This is a relaxed screening with sound reduced. Visitors are free to come and go, move, and otherwise make themselves comfortable in the space.
Accessibility, Content, and Sensory Notes
The exhibition Multiple Realities contains nudity and mature themes. A sculpture in Gallery 1 includes a chemical that resembles wet or dried blood on gauze bandages. It may also have a metallic odor. Some artworks in the exhibition feature flashing, flickering, or disorienting visual effects. Some artworks feature unexpected sounds or changes in volume, pitch, and tone.
The short film will be captioned in English.
To prepare for your visit, check out this Social Narrative.
For more information about accessibility or to request additional accommodations, call 612-375-7564 or email access@walkerart.org.
For more information about accessibility at the Walker, visit our Access page.
Bio
Alexandra Beaumont is a textile artist and dancer. She was born and raised in South Carolina to a Jamaican father and American mother, both working musicians. After working in New York City as a menswear designer, she returned to a fine arts practice, incorporating her love for fabrics and hand sewing. She now lives in Minneapolis, where she makes work centering themes of personal reconstruction, community, and celebratory display. Her first solo exhibition, Version, was presented at Ridgewater College in Minnesota in 2022. She is a 2022 recipient of the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council Next Step Fund grant and a 2023 Forecast Early Career Project grantee. Beaumont is a member of PF Studios in Minneapolis and contributes to the development team of Public Functionary, a gallery, performance space, and café supporting BIPOC and LGBTQ artists in the Twin Cities.
Before Your Visit
Paid underground parking is available on-site. Enter the ramp on Vineland Place at Bryant Avenue. Biking or taking Metro Transit? Learn more.
Visiting the galleries? Enhance your experience by joining a public tour or with self-guided resources accessible for free on Bloomberg Connects.
Personal photography is permitted throughout the Walker and the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, but please turn off the flash when visiting the galleries.
To help us promote future events and programs, this event may be photographed or recorded. By attending, you consent to appear in this documentation and its future use by the museum. Please let staff know upon arrival if you prefer not to be photographed.
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